Looking to apply for a new job? It’s possible that a hiring manager or human resources officer won’t look over your CV first. Rather, it might be a tool driven by AI.
Since some job advertisements receive hundreds or thousands of applications, businesses are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to screen candidates before they are contacted by a human recruiter. The Society for Human Resources Management projects that the AI recruitment industry will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1% between 2023 and 2030, and 48% of hiring managers say they use AI to screen resumes and applications, according to data from the jobseeker resource site Resume Genius.
Although employers have traditionally used applicant tracking systems (ATS) to search for skills and keywords in resumes, artificial intelligence (AI) has the ability to further automate the process by “reading” applications and resumes to identify qualified applicants.
However, does that mean it’s harder to ensure a human sees a resume? According to experts, AI can help both recruiters and candidates by enabling the algorithm to “see” applications in their whole, minimizing the need for keyword-scanning techniques that might punish applicants for leaving out particular phrases from their resumes.
Going beyond keywords
Using keywords from a job posting on a resume is not a novel approach. To increase the likelihood that automated systems will choose them, a candidate may include coding languages like Python or C++ on their CV for software engineering positions that call for those abilities.
But according to Madeline Laurano, chief analyst at Aptitude Research, an HR consultancy organization, emerging AI technologies can recognize resume content, which means they can assist in identifying prospects even if their resumes omit specific words.
“The AI providers take a skills-based approach,” Laurano explained. “They say, ‘We’re not using keywords on resumes.'” We want to be able to generate a more complete image of the individual, thus we’re inferring skills.
The algorithm can then offer recruiting managers with a list of potential prospects and rank them, which Laurano claims benefits both employers and recruiters by saving time.
The notion that automated programs simply discard resumes is incorrect, according to Nathan Soto, a career consultant at Resume Genius. According to Soto, “most HR representatives or hiring managers say they still look at the resumes.” However, hiring managers frequently require assistance due to an overwhelming volume of applications, some of which may be generated by AI.
Soto stated that they had no choice but to apply artificial intelligence to go through the information. The sheer quantity of applications they get has been increasing. However, it’s crucial to keep in mind the fundamentals: Avoid using complicated graphics like charts, columns, or odd fonts, and make sure the skills listed on your resume correlate with the job description. Unfortunately, the ATS prefers things that appear more uninteresting to the human eye, Soto remarked.
AI recruiting agents are coming
Recruiting companies are utilizing AI to streamline the hiring process in addition to using it to read resumes.
The AI hiring tool developer HiredScore was purchased by human resources software supplier Workday last year, and Indeed unveiled a Smart Sourcing tool that can locate applicants and create outreach messages.
In October, LinkedIn advanced that concept by launching an AI agent to manage routine HR duties like application screening. When hiring managers specify the kind of person they are looking for to the Hiring Assistant, LinkedIn’s AI assistant generates a list of the best candidates based on the profiles of applicants or the network. Even better, a recruiter can ask the assistant to locate applicants who are similar to a present employee.
In addition, the tool can communicate with candidates outside of regular business hours, albeit a human recruiter may intervene if necessary.
“A lot of the work has to be done in the evenings and at night, which is one of the real challenges about being a recruiter today,” LinkedIn vice president of product Hari Srinivasan told.
According to Srinivasan, the candidate will always be able to tell whether they are speaking with a bot. LinkedIn wants to make the process simpler for job seekers as well, not just recruiters. Instead of looking for a specific job title, LinkedIn is developing a feature that would let job seekers enter a description of the role they want to play.
Srinivasan says one example would be a search such as “Find me a job where I can work on a mission to go to space,” in which case the system would show relevant results. This tool is presently being tested by the company with LinkedIn Premium members. “All of a sudden, you start to have more opportunities,” he remarked.
Instead of mass-applying to jobs, Srinivasan added, Job Match, another AI function, can assist jobseekers identify the most relevant employment by determining whether their experience matches a certain role.
Hiring Assistant is now being used by a few hundred LinkedIn Recruiter users, and it will be expanded this fall, according to a LinkedIn spokeswoman.
AI is still susceptible to bias, despite its advancements. For instance, a study conducted at the University of Washington discovered that three large language models (LLMs) that were employed in the hiring process more often gave preference to applications submitted by individuals with white-associated names as opposed to those with Black-associated names.
AI has the ability to “hallucinate,” or produce misleading information, which means that it may misinterpret a resume and provide a recruiter inaccurate information. Laurano said that it’s crucial that candidates give their permission for AI to process their data. Even while artificial intelligence (AI) solutions like Hiring Assistant might assist reduce “friction” in the hiring process, a human touch will always be necessary to find the perfect hire. AI shouldn’t be used to decide who gets hired. The human being must ultimately make a choice.
